Nato Unites In Battle Against Terrorism

December 7, 2001|By Robin Wright Foreign Correspondent

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The 19 members of NATO issued a sweeping pledge Thursday to fight all forms of terrorism "for as long as necessary" by developing new defense capabilities and strengthening strategic coordination among themselves and with other blocs.

In a communique issued by NATO's North Atlantic Council, foreign ministers vowed to "enhance alliance military capabilities" and deepen relations with other states and international organizations to ensure appropriate action is taken more effectively to confront terrorist threats.

Secretary of State Colin Powell praised NATO's growing role in fighting terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks. "This unflinching decision, and the critical assistance this alliance has provided, has sent a clear message to our enemies about the depth of our common purpose," Powell said at a news conference on the first of two days of talks with his counterparts.

In announcing the agreement, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said the world has to have "zero tolerance" for global terrorism. He said NATO's new task will be "a prolonged and demanding commitment. But NATO has always been ready for the long haul.

"The threats have changed, but our resilience and relevance have not," Robertson said at another news conference at NATO headquarters.

The statement took pains to add, however, that its fight against terrorism is "not against Islam," but against extremists, their networks and those who harbor them.

NATO specifically called for improving individual and collective capabilities to protect member populations from attack, particularly from weapons of mass destruction. It also pledged to enhance cooperation against terrorism with the countries in Partners for Peace, which includes many of the former Soviet countries.

Defense ministers scheduled to meet next week are expected to follow up with discussions of specific steps NATO members can take, with a full package of measures prepared for agreement by the NATO summit in Prague, Czech Republic, next year, Robertson said.

In a separate action, NATO also announced a new formula to loosely embrace Russia in NATO, based on a "new quality" in relations between Moscow and the Western alliance and Russia's role since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

"We look forward to building on this cooperation and deepening NATO-Russia relations to meet the new challenges faced by the entire Euro-Atlantic community," the NATO communique said.

The first step will be creation of a new NATO-Russia Council to "pursue opportunities for joint action when our views converge," Powell said. The council would meet several times a week to work on the full range of major issues faced by all 20 countries, he added.